Actions and Consciousness
by Prof.Lia
Summary: After watching Pinocchio's fate, Emma tries one more person to find the guidance and strength she needs to save Henry. Operation Cobra.


Author's Note: I must confess, this is a small offering of love. Archie is my favorite character and I am genuinely worried that they'll turn him back into a cricket next season. Raphael Sbarge is too good to be thrown into a sound box.

_Actions and Conscious_

The small clock chimed quietly from the top of the cabinet. Archie squinted up from his reports to check the time. It had already been three hours since his last patient had left. Although Archie preferred to refer to Marco as his friend instead of his patient, the fact remained that the old man needed some professional help with personal issues. Archie wrote up the last of his notes and placed them in Marco's file. He vigorously rubbed his face for a temporary wake-up and began to gather his personal items. As soon as he'd thrown his scarf on, an urgent knock sounded at the door to his office.

"Archie!"

Any confusion Archie may have had at people dropping in at his office at such an irregular time of night was washed out by the alarm in Emma's voice. He threw down his umbrella and opened the door. Emma stood before him looking paler than he'd ever seen her. Her hands shook and she was on the verge of tears. Suddenly alert, Archie pulled her into his office and shut the door. "He was right! Henry was right about everything!" Emma gasped between words and shook harder, only whether it was from fear or anger, Archie couldn't tell.

"What happened, Emma?" Archie tried to soothe her as best he could but Emma had resorted to puling her hair at the roots as she continued to mumble on about "He was right" and "It's all my fault". He gently took her hands and lowered them. "Emma." His voice was firm and got him the attention he needed. "I need you to calm down and tell me what happened and where is Henry?"

Tears sprung back into her eyes at the sound of Henry's name but she held them back and took a deep breath while accepting a glass of water from Archie. "He was right, Archie. Henry was right about the curse."

It was the second time in too short a time span that Archie's jaw dropped in what he considered to be an unprofessional reaction in his line of work. "I'm not sure I follow you, Emma..."

"He told us from the start and showed me things I that wouldn't-_couldn't_ believe!" she took a gulp of water, "He told me that Regina was trying to poison me and I didn't believe him" There was no mistaking the urgency and panic in her face, something had happened to Henry. Archie's stomach dropped in fear.

"Poison? Regina tried to poison you?" He couldn't believe the words that were coming out of his own mouth and yet something in the back of his mind was already confirming the fact.

Emma nodded, "But Henry…Oh, Archie, Henry ate it to—"

Usually, Archie would wait and listen before jumping in. Now was not the right time to wait. He grabbed Emma's hand. "Henry's been poisoned!" Again, Emma nodded. "He's in the hospital right now. Dr. Whale doesn't know what's wrong with him though. But I know now that it was Regina's magic"

Archie chose to ignore the last statement; Emma was clearly feeling scared beyond reason and was grasping at straws trying to make sense of it all. "If I'd listened to him from the start, none of this would have happened…" Her voice was weak and cracked through Archie's own worry. Emma, who was usually cool and shrewd in her behavior, was now dissolving right before him. It pained him to see her icy fire dimming so quickly.

"Emma, we need to go to the hospital to check on Henry. Then we'll see what we can do." He stood to leave. But she wouldn't follow. "Emma?"

She turned to him, her eyes hollow. "August is turned to wood."

Archie froze. "Pardon?"

"August was Pinocchio and because of the curse, he's turned back into wood and I watched it happen." She was looked directly at him, trying to see whether or not he believed her. "Regina's admitted to everything and is offering to help me save him. Mr. Gold is Rumpelstiltskin and I'm supposed to use a sword to save my son's life."

Her blunt statement was completely different from her previous cries of guilt and fear. Archie recognized this for what it was; she was asking him for direction. Had the situation not been so dire, he would have glowed a little at the thought of being trusted so greatly by Miss Swan.

"First things first, Emma. How is Henry and should we go back to the hospital now?"

She exhaled visibly. "He's not good. Mary Margret is with him now. I need to go with Regina to find the cure."

"Why not trust the Doctors to fix it instead of working with her?"

"They don't think it's poison. But it's from Regina's apples and she's helping me find a way to fix it." Emma looked almost doubtful at her own words. "Archie, this could be Henry's only chance."

Instinctually, Archie placed his hand on the side of her face. She took comfort from the contact. "Emma, I'm not sure if I know exactly what's going on here and I won't pretend to. But if you think you can trust Regina enough to undo this and save Henry.."

"_You_ told me that she would never hurt him on purpose. So she has to be telling the truth about this, right?" she asked beseechingly. Archie nodded, hoping his conclusion about Regina was sound.

"Well, if you feel that whatever this is could work, then do what you can. Is there anything I can do?" She almost smiled at him.

"Could you go to the hospital in the morning if I'm not back yet?" Her eyes pleaded with him when there was no real need to. "Of course I'll be there, Emma. I care about Henry too, you know?"

At this, Emma couldn't help but smile at his words. "I do know, Archie. After all, I could only trust Operation Cobra members with this information." She said sadly.

He smiled back at her and they left his office together. They walked in silence down a few blocks, Emma's resolve strong and her need to think quietly was unspoken but mutually understood. He dropped her off at the fork between where she needed to be and the road to his home. He said his goodbyes and promised to see Henry first thing the next day. On the rest of the way home the cold winds seemed all the more bitter to Archie as his mind turned to thoughts of Henry lying in a hospital bed. He had no idea what Emma believed in at that point or how her working with Regina could actually help, but he had a feeling that it was only the calm before the storm. And he was confident he was to be on Emma's side when it hit.

Try as he might, sleep was not willing to stay with Archie for longer than a quarter of an hour at a time. Knowing that Henry was laying in a hospital bed (maybe even his death bed) made Archie want to throw up. He couldn't help that he'd come to love the boy. He had chosen to ignore the protectiveness he felt for Henry and tried to pass it off for doctor/patient care. Of course he was worried about the Henry, who wouldn't be? His two mothers waging a war out of love when in truth, the answer should have been something far less damaging. But then he'd been listening to Mr. Gold and Marco. The two men both so wholly different from one another were both feeling the absence of fatherhood. One mourning for the son that apparently left and returned, and the other for the child he had never had but seemingly found. As Archie was best at listening, he knew well enough that he felt that very same strong pull of paternal love for Henry. The boy may have two mothers, but he had never known a father.

Even when everyone in town knew that Regina was sleeping with Graham, there was no doubt that Archie was still the closest person to a father figure Henry had. Archie was a willing listener and loved to participate in Henry's heated discussions about everything ranging from school, to life with his mother, to the quest to find his birth mother, and of course the curse.

Henry's talk about The Curse was fantastical at best but he had been right about one thing. Things had changed drastically since Emma had come to town. Not merely in the "Mayor was out for blood" verity either, but on a more personal level. Before Emma had arrived, Archie was never been able to voice his concerns about Henry to anyone. Emma was someone who could share his worries but also his prideful information regarding Henry's life. A life Archie was very much a part of. She'd brought the three of them together in a special way that Archie could not fully grasp the importance of.

Archie sat up in bed and reached for his glasses. He knew he wasn't going to get any rest now that the sun was finally creeping in through his curtains. Enough was enough. He wasn't going to wait for another invite or check as to whether or not Emma had returned from her escapade with Regina. Neither Emma nor Henry should be alone at a time like this. It took minutes to get dressed and out the door. He was tired and worn from the lack of sleep and his night spent over-thinking the possibilities of what could happen to Henry and Emma. And Archie was damned if he wasn't going to be there to help in some way.

He quickly stopped by his office to pick up some of Henry's old files to review in the hospital. Archie stepped into the cold morning air when it happened. It that instant, time stopped once again in Storybrooke. Archie felt the pulse of magic rush through him like a loud drum beat. The gush of wind that blew into him was warm and tingling, throwing him into a sea of memories. Like many more around him, he stood transfixed for a while longer as the information played out in his mind. Only when the full extent of his exchange with Emma the previous night hit him and the realization of what kind of trouble she and Henry were truly in, did his knees give out. He couldn't breathe properly. His whole world was a mix of lies and truths that he couldn't decide which ones he wanted to believe. His fear for Emma and Henry had increased ten-fold, but so had his resolve to find a way of helping them. With a shaky hand, he pushed himself off the pavement and made his way to the hospital

He was Jiminy once more.


End file.
